Tortola! It was the last island we were to visit on this trip, and the only place where I would swim with dolphins for the very first time! Let me start from the beginning. I love dolphins, I have researched as much as I can about the mammals and have fallen in love. It has always been one of my dreams to go swimming with dolphins. I actually wanted to study marine biology so I could one day work with dolphins, until I realized I was not such a big fan of studying science and math. Still, I was not going to let that get in the way of me enjoying their existence. I have even learned that pink dolphins exist, and the rare color is caused by being an albino of the species. Pink dolphins are rare, and it has become another dream of mine to one day actually see a pink dolphin in person. So, needless to say I was ecstatic about waking up in Tortola, and only being a few hours away from meeting a dolphin in person for the first time!
Rushing to get to the meeting spot on time for the dolphin encounter, we grabbed breakfast on the go and hurried off the ship. We made it just in time, and were soon on the "bus" ride to our destination. We arrived to a place with murky looking water with amazing dolphins swimming around! I couldn't wait!! We were given life jackets, and shown a safety video. After about a half hour of listening to instructions, taking pictures, and dividing up into groups it was time!! I was already jealous of the trainer who got to play with the dolphins for a living. We made our way to the platform and began climbing down the steps into this well to be honest disgusting looking water. Normally I would be grossed out, but I know that in the water was the one thing I had always dreamed of. A dolphin!! At first I was a little scared, due to the dark color of the water, you could not really tell where the dolphin was. It was not long that I forgot about being scared and became extremely excited and happy. It was my turn to swim with the dolphin. The dolphin's name was Venus, and she was 2 months pregnant! I would have loved to have seen a baby dolphin! So it was my turn, I swam to the other end of the swimming area and held out my hand, the dolphin came up behind me and i grabbed on to its two fins as she pulled me across the water swimming on her back. Next I got to hug the dolphin, kiss her, hold her, and shake her fins. It was absolutely amazing!
I was a little disappointed that the swim with the dolphin was so short, and that we didn't get the opportunity to do the "superman" move where two dolphins lift you out of the water, but I still loved every minute of it. I cannot wait to go swimming with dolphins again! After we dried off, right before it started to rain. We made our way inside where we purchased pictures and souvenirs. We were then dropped off to do some shopping. However, there were not many shops around. We walked through a flea market and a few small stores where we found a few gifts for people, and made our way back. On the way I also made a stop to take a picture with a donkey, where the owner realized we were tourists and made me pay him one dollar for taking the picture. I could've walked away without paying, but it was one dollar and I figured why not.
As we walked back to the ship, most of the crew was walking off to perform a routine drill on the lawn nearby. We finally made our way back and sat down to a nice lunch. Then off to another nap and another night of dinner, entertainment, and drinking.
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